This week, we fielded a name from our backyard workers that there have been massive yellow jacket (Vespula maculifrons) nests in a number of arborvitae close to the place they have been working. Figuring out how aggressive and poisonous the stings of those native vespid wasps might be for people, they’d requested assist in getting the nests eradicated.

When Patrick arrived to take a look at the issue, he observed that as a substitute of discovering nests, the yellow jackets have been really feeding on the arborvitae. Since this species of arborvitae was at present within the midst of pollen and cone manufacturing, there additionally seems to be some kind of resin being exuded on the similar time, which is a delicacy for the yellow jackets.

We estimate there have been between 100 and 200 yellow jackets per plant. As a result of they have been busy feeding, they’d no real interest in us, regardless of our shut up research of their habits. Our entomologist, Invoice Reynolds, who had noticed this phenomenon earlier than with vespid wasps and arborvitae, confirmed us that we might really contact the yellow jackets with out drawing their ire. That is definitely not the case should you’ve ever been anyplace close to a yellow jacket nesting web site.

The opposite attention-grabbing phenomenon is that regardless of being Jap US natives, the yellow jackets have been solely within the Asian arborvitae species, Platycladus (Thuja) orientalis. Rising adjoining was the East Coast and West Coast arborvitae, Thuja occidentalis and Thuja plicata, however neither attracted a single insect. That is one other nail within the coffin of that oft repeated fantasy that solely native vegetation feed native pollinators. Considered one of many classes right here, nevertheless it’s particularly essential to not spray first and ask questions later.